1. Pennington Biomedical Research Center
Fad Diets
Pennington Biomedical Research Center
Division of Education
This presentation is about fad diets. What are “fad diets?” They are diets that promise more than they can deliver and people fall victims to fad diets every day. The diet may provide a transient weight loss, but not permanent weight loss that will last.

2. Proliferation of fad diets
There are many different types of diets available currently.
Fat diets are available in book form, magazines, on-line, and on TV.
Each one promises better cures than the next with huge weight losses in short time.
We are continually bombarded by advertisements for quick weight loss, almost magic results without involving any hard work. We can pick up a magazine or a newspaper and there will be a diet or a product that is advertised to melt away fat. Do they really work?
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3. How to recognize a fad diet
Promise quick weight loss.
Limit food selections and dictate specific rituals.
Use testimonials from famous people
To recognize a fad diet:
They promote quick weight loss.
They limit food selections and dictate specific rituals, such as eating only fruit for breakfast or cabbage soup every day.
They use testimonials from famous people and tie the diet to well-known cities, such as Beverly Hills and New York.
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4. How to recognize a fad diet
4. They bill themselves as cure-alls.
5. They often recommend expensive supplements.
6. No attempts are made to change eating habits permanently.
They bill themselves as cure-alls. The diet claims to work for everyone, whatever the type of obesity or the person’s specific strengths or weaknesses.
5. They often recommend expensive supplements.
6. No attempts are made to change eating habits permanently. Dieters follow the diet until the desired weight is reached and then revert to old eating habits.
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5. How to recognize a fad diet
7. Use scientific jargon and terms.
8. They are generally critical and skeptical about the scientific community.
Many of them scare individuals to follow the diet by using scientific jargon and terms.
8. They are generally critical and skeptical about the scientific community. They suggest that physicians and registered dietitians do not really want people to lose weight, encouraging people to look outside the medical establishment for correct advice.
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6. Types of Fad Diets: Macronutrient Restrictions Novelty Diets
Low or Restricted-Carbohydrate Approaches
Low-Fat Approaches
Novelty Diets
Types of fad diets
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7. Types of Fad Diets: Low or Restricted Carbohydrate Approaches
Most common form of fad diet
The brain requires glucose for normal functioning.
Glucose is made from tissue proteins.
This leads to protein tissue loss.
How it works
Types of Fad Diets: Low or Restricted Carbohydrate Approaches
Most common form of fad diet
The brain requires glucose for normal functioning, so when encountered with a very low-carbohydrate intake, it initially signals the liver to produce the needed glucose it isn’t receiving.
The source of carbons to make this glucose is mostly tissue proteins.
This leads to protein tissue loss, as well as urinary losses of essential ions, such as potassium.
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8. Types of Fad Diets: Low or Restricted Carbohydrate Approaches
Dieter loses weight very rapidly with the loss of carbohydrates and fluids.
Work in the short run because of limited food intake.
Reduced eating due to limited selection.
On normal diet fluids are restored and the weight is regained.
Why you lose weight on it
Since body carbohydrates are lost which hold on to 4 times its weight in water, the dieter loses weight very rapidly with the loss of carbohydrates and fluids.
Low carbohydrate diets primarily work in the short run because of limited food intake.
Because individuals are limited to few food choices, this leads to reduced eating in general.
However, when a normal diet is resumed, body carbohydrates and fluids are restored and the weight is regained.
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9. Problems With Low or Restricted Carbohydrate Approaches
The plan lacks: fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
Not intended for long-term use.
The plan includes excessive intake of animal fats.
Individuals experience reduced exercise capacity due to limited carbohydrate intake.
Problems
The plan does not include: fruits, vegetables, and whole grains that nutrition experts point out are important components of a healthy diet.
Low-carbohydrate diet is not intended for long-term usage (no more than 4-6 weeks).
The plan includes excessive intake of animal fats.
Individuals on this plan experience reduced exercise capacity due to poor glycogen stores in the muscle.
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10. Problems With Low or Restricted Carbohydrate Approaches
Can result in metabolic dehydration.
Due to use of body’s own stores of carbohydrates and protein.
Results in initial weight loss.
This is extremely stressful and forces the brain to alter its metabolism.
Metabolic consequences
Generally less than 100 g of carbohydrate is consumed per day
A primary concern with this type of plan is the risk for metabolic dehydration, a type of dehydration which has nothing to do with what one eats or drinks.
Metabolic dehydration occurs when the body uses its own stores of carbohydrates and protein, both of which are stored with water.
This is the initial weight loss observed in low carbohydrate plans.
This form of weight loss is extremely stressful on the body and forces the brain to alter its metabolism.
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11. Problems With Low or Restricted Carbohydrate Approaches
Can lead to such serious health problems such as kidney stress, liver disorders, and gout.
These diets also increase the risk for:
Coronary heart disease
Diabetes
Stroke
Several types of cancer
According to previous research findings, losing weight on these types of diets can lead to such serious health problems such as kidney stress, liver disorders, and gout.
These diets also increase the risk for:
Coronary heart disease
Diabetes
Stroke
Several types of cancer
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12. Recent Finds
Typical Atkins Diet can contain up to 59% fat and provides significantly fewer servings of grains, vegetables, and fruit than recommended by the U.S. Dietary Guidelines.
Very low-carbohydrate diet increases the risk for kidney stone formation and the potential for bone loss contributing to osteoporosis.
Researchers at the University of Kentucky analyzed a weeks worth of menus from people following the Atkins Diet and reported that the diet contained 59% fat and provided significantly fewer servings of grains, vegetables, and fruit than recommended by the U.S. Dietary Guidelines.
A study recently reported in the American Journal of Kidney Disease found that very low-carbohydrate diets deliver a markedly high acid load to the kidneys that increases the risk for kidney stone formation and the potential for bone loss contributing to osteoporosis.
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13. Recent Finds: From the American Heart Association
According to the AHA, restricting carbohydrate levels can increase the risk of heart disease, high cholesterol, diabetes, stroke, and certain kinds of cancer.
The American Heart Association (AHA) issued a report in 2001 about the health consequences of high protein diets.
According to the AHA, restricting carbohydrate levels, while consuming large amounts of protein-rich foods that are high in fat, can increase the risk of heart disease, high cholesterol, diabetes, stroke, and certain kinds of cancer.
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14. Recent Finds: From the American Heart Association
Most of these plans greatly exceed the AHA’s dietary guidelines of 15-20% protein and only 10% saturated fats daily.
68% of the calories in the overall diet come from fat with 26% coming from saturated fat on the Atkins' Diet
AHA reviewed the protein and fat content of many of the most popular low-carbohydrate diets, finding that most of these plans greatly exceeded the AHA’s dietary guidelines of 15-20% protein and only 10% saturated fats daily.
For example, the Atkins' Diet allowed 68% of the overall diet to come from fat with 26% coming from saturated fat.
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15. Recent Finds: From The American Kidney Fund
High-protein diets can cause scarring in the kidneys.
Dehydration forces the kidneys to work harder to clean toxins from the blood.
In 2002, The American Kidney Fund warned that high-protein diets have the potential to cause scarring in the kidneys, which have to process more waste from excess protein.
Based on new research conducted on endurance runners whose kidneys were studied after being on a high-protein diet, AKF stated:
“We have long suspected that high-protein weight loss diets could have a negative effect on the kidneys and now we have research to support our suspicions. Dehydration forces the kidneys to work harder to clean toxins from the blood.”
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16. Recent Finds: From the American Institute for Cancer Research and the World Cancer Research Fund
Diets high in saturated fat increase the risk of prostate, breast , and colon cancer.
High-protein diets are low in protective dietary fiber, which lowers the risk of lung, oral, esophageal, stomach, and colon cancer.
States that diets high in saturated fat increase the risk of prostate and colon cancer
In addition, high-protein diets tend to be low in protective dietary fiber, which has been linked to a lower risk of lung, oral, esophageal, stomach, and colon cancer.
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17. Examples of: Low or Restricted Carbohydrate Approaches
Dr. Atkins
Sugar Busters
Carbohydrate Addicts Diet
The Five-Day Miracle Diet
Protein Power
Enter the Zone
Endocrine Control Diet
Healthy For Life
The Doctor’s Quick Weight Loss Diet
Woman Doctor’s Diet for Women
Miracle Diet for Fast Weight loss
Calories Don’t Count
Four Day Wonder Diet
The Complete Scarsdale Medical Diet
These are examples of diets that restrict the intake of carbohdyrates.
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18. Types of Fad Diets: Low Fat
Less than 20% of energy comes from fat, usually only 5-10%.
There is limited (or elimination of) animal protein sources; also all fats, nuts, and seeds.
Dieters eat primarily grains, fruit, and vegetables, which most people cannot do for a very long time.
Eventually, the individual wants some foods higher in fat or protein.
Less than 20% of energy comes from fat, usually only 5-10%.
There is limited (or elimination of) animal protein sources; also all fats, nuts, and seeds.
Dieters eat primarily grains, fruit, and vegetables, which most people cannot do for a very long time.
Eventually, the individual wants some foods higher in fat or protein.
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19. Problems: With Low Fat Diet Plans
Little satiety
Flatulence
Possibly poor mineral absorption from excess dietary fiber
Limited food choices sometimes leading to deprivation
The diet is much lower in fat than a typical American diet.
Little satiety
Flatulence
Possibly poor mineral absorption from excess dietary fiber
Limited food choices sometimes leading to deprivation
The diet is so different from the typical American diet that many adults fail to follow consistently
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20. Examples of: Low Fat Diet Plans
The Rice Diet Report
The Pritikin Diet
Eat More, Weigh Less
The 35+ Diet
20/30 Fat and Fiber
Fat to Muscle Diet
T-Factor Diet
Fit or Fat
Two Day Diet
Complete Hip and Thigh Diet
The Maximum Metabolism Diet
The Pasta Diet
G-Index Diet
Lean Bodies
Outsmarting the Female Fat Cell
The Macrobiotic Diet (some versions)
These are examples of diets that are low in fat.
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21. Types of Fad Diets: Novelty Diets
Some novelty diets emphasize one food or food group and exclude almost all others.
The Rice Diet was originally designed in the 1940’s to lower blood pressure.
Another novelty diet is the Egg Diet, on which you eat all the eggs you want.
Some novelty diets emphasize one food or food group and exclude almost all others.
The Rice Diet was designed in the 1940’s to lower blood pressure; now it has resurfaced as a weight-loss diet.
The first phase of this diet consists of eating only rice and fruit until you can’t stand them any longer.
Another novelty diet is the Egg Diet, on which you eat all the eggs you want.
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22. Novelty Diets: Rice and Egg
The rationale behind these diets is that you can only eat eggs, fruit, or rice for just so long before becoming bored, in theory, reducing your energy intake.
However, it is more likely that you will abandon the diet entirely before losing much weight.
There are always new novelty diets coming along. These types of diets are very restrictive and rely on only few foods.
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23. Novelty Diets: Information
Some bizarre novelty diets claim that some food combinations putrefies ( ex. meat eaten with potatoes) in the intestines and creates toxins, which invade the blood and cause disease, and overweight and obesity.
Examples of this type of novelty diet include: Fit for Life, the Beverly Hills Diet, and Eat Great, Lose Weight
The most bizarre of the novelty diets proposes that “food gets stuck in your body”.
Their basis is that food gets stuck in the intestine, putrefies, and creates toxins, which invade the blood and cause disease. Fit for Life proposes that meat eaten with potatoes is not digested and that fresh fruit should be consumed only before noon.
Examples of this type of novelty diet include: Fit for Life, the Beverly Hills Diet, and Eat Great, Lose Weight
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24. Novelty Diets: Information
The gimmicks proposed in the different books appear controversial but are really designed to sell books.
And most importantly, there is
No Research or Scientific Evidence backing up these claims.
They are gimmicks that appear controversial but are really designed to sell books.
And most importantly, there is No Research or Scientific Evidence backing up these claims.
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25. Problems: With Novelty Diets
They promote certain nutrients, foods, or combinations of foods as having unique, magical, or previously undiscovered qualities
They can lead to malnutrition
No change in everyday eating habits leading to relapse
Unrealistic food choices leading to possible bingeing
They promote certain nutrients, foods, or combinations of foods as having unique, magical, or previously undiscovered qualities/
Malnutrition
No change in habits leading to relapse
Unrealistic food choices leading to possible bingeing
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26. Examples of: Novelty Diets
Dr. Abravenel’s Body Type and Lifetime
Fit for Life
Dr. Berger’s Immune Power Diet
The Hilton Head Metabolism Diet
The Beverly Hills Diet
Dr. Debetz Champagne Diet
Sun Sign Diet
Eat to Win
Cabbage-Soup Diet
Eat Great, Lose Weight
The Ultrafit Diet
Two Day Diet
Paris Diet
Eat Right 4 Your Type
3 Season Diet
Metabolize
These are examples of novelty diets. Some can be expensive and call for unusual ingredients.
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27. Quackery
Fad diets fall under the category of quackery, people taking advantage of others.
Usually costs a considerable amount of money
Often times, those offering the product or service were victims themselves.
Fad diets fall under the category of quackery, people taking advantage of others.
Usually involves a product or service that costs a considerable amount of money
Often times, those offering the product or service don’t even realize that they are promoting quackery, because they were victims themselves.
An example would be: an individual who tried the product and by pure coincidence it worked for them, so they want to sell it to all of their friends and family.
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28. Quackery: Tips
Healthy weight loss approaches that work will be reported in the major journals, such as the
Journal of the American Dietetic Association, the
Journal of the American Medical Association, or
The New England Journal of Medicine.
The rule of thumb on seeing a new diet aid on the market is that: If it sounds too good to be true, it usually is.
If in the near future an important aid for weight loss is discovered, you can feel confident that major journals, such as the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, the Journal of the American Medical Association, or The New England Journal of Medicine, will report it.
Usually, quackery only reduces the bank account; however, it can lead to life-threatening results.
The rule of thumb on seeing a new diet aid on the market is that: If it sounds too good to be true, it usually is.
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29. Other Diets

30. Moderate Calorie Restriction: General Overview
Usually kcal per day, with a moderate fat intake
Reasonable balance of macronutrients
Encourages exercise
May use behavioral approach
Acceptable if vitamin and mineral supplement is used and permission of family physician is granted
Usually kcal per day, with a moderate fat intake
Reasonable balance of macronutrients
Encourages exercise
May use behavioral approach
Acceptable if vitamin and mineral supplement is used and permission of family physician is granted
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31. Examples: Moderate Calorie Restriction
The Setpoint Diet
Slim Chance in a Fat World
Weight Watcher’s Diet
Mary Ellen’s Help Yourself Diet Plan
The Beyond Diet
Staying Thin
The Calloway Diet
Living Without Dieting
Volumetrics
Lose the Last 10 pounds
Dieting with the Duchess
Dieting for Dummies
The Wedding Dress Diet
Dr. Shapiro’s Picture Perfect Diet
These moderate calories diets are some of the most sensible. They do not restrict particular food groups but provide a wide variety of foods.
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32. Very Low Calorie Diets General Overview
Less than 800 kcal per day
Also known as protein-sparing modified fasts
Must be under close physician scrutiny
There are also very low calorie diets. These should not be embarked upon without a doctors approval. They can be dangerous and result in serious imbalance of nutrients.
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33. Very Low Calorie Diets General Overview
Used for fast weight loss under doctor’s supervision to get ready for surgery, for example.
These VLCD are usually used by a doctor under very specific conditions.
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34. Very Low Calorie Diets: Problems
Organ tissue losses- especially from the heart
Low blood potassium could lead to heart failure
Expensive to follow
Potential for kidney stones with rapid weight loss
Potential for Gout
There can be many problems with VLCD.
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35. Examples: Of Very Low Calorie Diets
Ultrafast
Thin So Fast
Optifast
Cambridge Diet
HMR
These are examples of VLCD.
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36. Formula Diets: General Overview
Can help people who cannot regulate portion sizes
Based on formulated or packaged products
Formula diets are liquid diets that can be used under specific conditions. They can be successful and result in weight loss, but the loss is most of the time not sustained.
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37. Problems: With Formula Diets
No change in habits are observed.
Possibly leading to increased chance of relapse
Expensive
Often leading to constipation
Some of the problems due to formula diets are that a person does not learn new eating habits during the weight loss phase. It can be monotonous and boring resulting in cravings and strong desires for foods.
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38. Pre-measured Diets: General Information
Most food supplied in pre-measured servings takes much of the decision making out of the process of eating.
Expensive
May not allow for easy sound eating later
The meals are pre measured and easy to use.
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39. Examples Of Pre-measured Diet
Jenny Craig
NutriSystem
Health Management Resources
These are examples of formula diets.
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40. References http://www.essentialnutrition.org/lowcarb.php
Wardlaw G, Kessel M. Perspectives in Nutrition. 5th ed. 2002
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41. Pennington Biomedical Research Center Division of Education
Heli Roy, PhD, RD
Outreach Coordinator, Division of Education
Phillip Brantley, PhD,
Director, Division of Education
Claude Bouchard, PhD
Director, Pennington Biomedical Research Center
Beth Kalicki
2009
Edited: October 2009

42. About Our Company…
The Pennington Biomedical Research Center is a world-renowned nutrition research center.
Mission:
To promote healthier lives through research and education in nutrition and preventive medicine.
The Pennington Center has several research areas, including:
Clinical Obesity Research
Experimental Obesity
Functional Foods
Health and Performance Enhancement
Nutrition and Chronic Diseases
Nutrition and the Brain
Dementia, Alzheimer’s and healthy aging
Diet, exercise, weight loss and weight loss maintenance
The research fostered in these areas can have a profound impact on healthy living and on the prevention of common chronic diseases, such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes, hypertension and osteoporosis.
The Division of Education provides education and information to the scientific community and the public about research findings, training programs and research areas, and coordinates educational events for the public on various health issues.
We invite people of all ages and backgrounds to participate in the exciting research studies being conducted at the Pennington  Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. If you would like to take part, visit the clinical trials web page at or call (225)
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